Daily OMI tropospheric NO2 (air pollution) measurements over The Netherlands and Western Europe

The Netherlands and Western Europe air pollution (last 24 hours)

Today's satellite air quality measurements are available around 15:00 hours GMT for Europe. OMI (on
the EOS-Aura satellite) passes over
Europe around 12:45 hours (GMT) and it takes another 2-2.5 hours before the data are available here.
The most recent air quality measurements can be viewed in Google Earth.
The TEMIS web site
contains a limited archive of air quality and air pollution Google Earth files.

The satellite retrievals are KNMI property. For request to
use the OMI nitrogen dioxide images please contact the
press office of KNMI

The OMI near-real time nitrogen dioxide web page is not an
operational product. The timely availability of the images
is not guaranteed and may be temporarily interrupted in case
of system maintenance.

Overview recent OMI news

Ozone Layer on the Road to Recovery

Date: 17 09 2014

Earth's protective ozone layer is on track for recovery within the next few decades according to a new assessment by 282 scientists from 36 countries. The abundance of most ozone-depleting substances in the atmosphere has dropped since the last assessment in 2010, and stratospheric ozone depletion has leveled off and is showing some signs of recovery. These observations were the headlines of the recent "Assessment for Decision-Makers," part of a larger report to be released in early 2015 by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the World Meteorological Organization (WMO).

“Killer” trees? Not Exactly

Date: 16 07 2014

In 1981, President Ronald Reagan claimed that trees produce more air pollution than automobiles, fueling a spate of jokes about "killer trees." He was mostly wrong, but not completely.
It is true that forests emit volatile organic compounds and reactive hydrocarbons such as isoprene, a chemical that contributes to air pollution. Although isoprene is harmless by itself, the gas reacts with other substances in the atmosphere to form certain types of fine aerosols and ground-level ozone.

An AURA of Success

Date: 15 07 2014

On the 10th anniversary of the launch of NASA's Aura spacecraft, NASA's Earth Observatory features 10 examples of how the satellite has changed our view of dust, pollution, aerosols, and ozone in our atmosphere.

Put a Lid on It

Date: 27 06 2014

In 1998, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) called on 22 eastern states to develop plans to significantly reduce emissions of nitrogen oxides (NOx), a group of highly reactive gases released by combustion engines, electric power plants, and a range of industrial activities. NOx is a precursor to ozone, while nitrogen dioxide has some harmful health effects. In 2005, the EPA issued the Clean Air Interstate Rule, a regulation that encouraged states to use a cap-and-trade system to further reduce emissions of NOx.

New NASA Images Highlight U.S. Air Quality Improvement

Date: 26 06 2014

Anyone living in a major U.S. city for the past decade may have noticed a change in the air. The change is apparent in new NASA satellite images unveiled this week that demonstrate the reduction of air pollution across the country.
After ten years in orbit, the Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) on NASA's Aura satellite has been in orbit sufficiently long to show that people in major U.S. cities are breathing less nitrogen dioxide - a yellow-brown gas that can cause respiratory problems.